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Nagpal TS, Pearce N, Sockalingam S, Hawa R, Dhaliwal KK, Lee-Baggley D, El-Hussein M, Nutter S, Piccinini-Vallis H, Vallis M, Dennett L, Forhan M, Hadjiyanakkis S, Kushner RF, McMillan M, Wharton S, Wiljer D, Abraham JR. A scoping review of obesity education interventions for current and prospective medical professionals in Canada. OBESITY PILLARS (ONLINE) 2023; 8:100085. [PMID: 38125662 PMCID: PMC10728706 DOI: 10.1016/j.obpill.2023.100085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Background Obesity is a prevalent chronic disease in Canada. Individuals living with obesity frequently interact with medical professionals who must be prepared to provide evidence-based and person-centred care options. The purpose of this scoping review was to summarize existing educational interventions on obesity in Canada for current and prospective medical professionals and to identify key future directions for practice and research. Methods A scoping review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews. The search strategy was conducted using Medline (via PubMed), Embase, Eric, CBCA, Proquest Education, and Proquest Theses. The inclusion criteria included delivery of an educational intervention on obesity for current medical professionals, medical undergraduate trainees, or residents administered in Canada. Data were extracted from the included studies to thematically summarize the intervention content, and main outcomes assessed. Future directions for research and practice were identified. Results Eight studies met the inclusion criteria. The interventions ranged in terms of the mode of delivery, including interactive in-person workshops and seminars, online learning modules, webinars, and videos. The main outcomes assessed were attitudes towards patients living with obesity, self-efficacy for having sensitive obesity-related discussions, skills to assess obesity and provision of management options. All studies reported improvements in the outcomes. Future directions identified were the need to develop standardized obesity competencies for inclusion across medical education programs, further research on effective pedagogical approaches to integrating content into existing curricula and the need for broader awareness and assessment of the quality of obesity education resources. Conclusion Although there have been few obesity-specific educational interventions for current and prospective medical professionals in Canada, existing evidence shows positive learning outcomes. These findings advocate for continued investment in the development of obesity medical training and educational interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taniya S. Nagpal
- Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | | | - Sanjeev Sockalingam
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Raed Hawa
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Khushmol K. Dhaliwal
- Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Dayna Lee-Baggley
- Department of Family Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Mohamed El-Hussein
- Faculty of Health, Community & Education, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Mount Royal University, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Sarah Nutter
- Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Michael Vallis
- Department of Family Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Liz Dennett
- Scott Health Sciences Library, University of Alberta, Edmonton Alberta Canada
| | - Mary Forhan
- Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Stasia Hadjiyanakkis
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Robert F. Kushner
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | | | - Sean Wharton
- University of Toronto, Wharton Medical Clinic, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - David Wiljer
- University Health Network; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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